The issue of Israeli-Palestinian violence has been a constant topic of discussion this semester, with students expressing passionate opinions on both sides of the issue. The controversy continued Wednesday night when a Hillel discussion featuring retired Israeli Major General Shlomo Gazit turned into a heated debate with students sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
During a question and answer session followed the lecture, students expressed contrasting views on the contentious issues and Gazit's treatment of the crisis.
Friends of Israel President Adrian Wilairat, whose group sponsored the lecture, said the animated debate was a welcome surprise.
"I also did not expect it to be as heated as it was," he added. "I'm glad some people challenged what [Gazit] said. Discussion is what will solve this problem."
When Arab Student Association (ASA) Co-President Dina Karam asked Gazit what Israelis hoped to achieve with what she described as "excessive violence" against the Palestinians, the former general cut her off mid-sentence. He disputed her use of "excessive" to describe the violence. He argued that Israeli actions were a natural response to Palestinian protests and necessary to bring the two parties to the bargaining table. Referring to the American bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Gazit inferred that violence is sometimes a necessary part of conflict resolution.
Another audience member, originally from Libya, asked Gazit if Palestinians could be expected to willingly give up what he viewed as rightfully theirs. The general said both parties need to decide if the struggle is worth the continuing violence and rising possibility of war.
Gazit focused his speech on how Israelis and Palestinians might come to a final peace agreement, and said that both sides should consider the situation from the other's perspective. Optimistic that peace will eventually prevail, Gazit drew comparisons between the current violence and the Israeli occupation of Egypt during the 1970s.
"Real coexistence [of Israelis and Palestinians] may come in the time of our grandchildren," he said. "We gave back every inch to Egypt and we didn't get any love or sympathy from them. We don't expect that from this situation either."
He stressed that any agreement reached by the two sides would be extremely painful and could not be imposed by Israelis on the Palestinians or vice versa. The accord will be what he described as a "wedding of necessity" rather than "a wedding of love." It can only be expected to provide a political solution to the current problems - not true peace.
The general also proposed solutions to the question of Jerusalem's sovereignty. Both Palestinians and Israelis lay claim to the city, which has evolved into one of the negotiations' most disputed points. He said that the city should be divided into Israeli and Palestinian boroughs according to demographics and not the line of demarcation drawn in 1967. The result, he said, would be an international city serving as capital of two states.
Following the lecture, Karam said she thought the speech was exceedingly superficial. "He avoided a lot of very important issues," she said. "When talking about this conflict, you have to talk about the history, not just what is happening, but why it's happening. I wish the discussion had been longer - we could have touched on so many more issues."
Although she said the speech was consistent with the ASA's expectations, Karam credited Gazit for his realistic outlook and aspiration to achieve a political accord rather than the unrealistic expectation of a heartfelt peace.
Participants in the discussion said that disagreement between the general and members of the audience enhanced the event.
"I think it was great to have a diverse audience to [challenge] him and see both sides of the debate," senior Lisa Hodes said. "I also liked how [Gazit] proposed concrete solutions for problems."
Senior Ravit Lessner said Gazit could have skirted the issues much more. "He knows that there isn't a real answer," she said.
The violence in the Middle East re-erupted on Sept. 28 following a visit by Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon to a holy site that Jews and Arabs share in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Gazit worked in the Israeli defense establishment for almost 40 years and is recognized as a leading authority on Israeli security and defense issues. During his career, he served in a variety of positions, including coordinator of Israeli Government Operations between 1967 and 1974, with responsibility for the administration of the West Bank and Gaza.
Upon returning from a fellowship in Washington in 1995, Gazit was appointed by then-Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres as Advisor on Palestinian Affairs and as his special delegate in meetings with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
